New Theme: Duster
I am rather pleased to announce the birth of a new Automattic theme designed and developed by the Theme Team. It goes by the name of Duster and is quite an interesting theme — if I may say so myself.
Apart from the custom possibilities you’re already acquainted with in most of our themes — features like custom backgrounds, headers, and menus — Duster is also equipped with a unique Showcase Page Template that can propel your site up to a new level.
Showing how Duster looks.
With the help of the Showcase Template you can make your front page display an introductory text message, a featured post with an image —big or small, your call— at the top, a recent post column showing the latest post and a list of other recent posts below, and a sidebar with a custom widget that displays your Aside or Link posts.
It also has several details hidden all around, like a responsive and fluid design to accommodate smaller views. We hope you like it and create beautiful sites with its help. We like it so much we’re using it for our team blog, ThemeShaper. 
Go exploring and read more about it at the Theme Showcase (you now can even activate the theme from there)!
Feb 15th at 9:51 pm
Great work. Already switched to it.
Feb 15th at 9:57 pm
1 column or 2 columns?
Feb 15th at 10:54 pm
Duster is a 2-column theme that switches to a 1-column layout for smaller browser sizes.
Feb 15th at 10:17 pm
Very simple theme. I like it.
Feb 15th at 10:21 pm
nice work! very nice.
Feb 15th at 10:23 pm
Very nice. I’ll check it out. I’ve been sticking with the same template for about a year.
Feb 15th at 10:26 pm
It’s a nice theme.
Feb 15th at 10:28 pm
I’m really devoted to my current one…but I like how ya’ll are trying new things that don’y look like all the other ones…
Feb 15th at 10:34 pm
We agree. But we are surprised that you don’t have a theme related to travel. We, for example, started our blog so our friends could keep up on our sailboat cruise down the Pacific coast. Would love to have a theme that’s travel related; or, even better, mariner related.
Feb 15th at 10:56 pm
A travel-related theme sounds like a great idea. If you have more theme suggestions we’d love to hear them in our themes forum.
Feb 15th at 10:37 pm
Smart layout! Very cute!
Feb 15th at 10:44 pm
Wow! There are some very nice variations on the themes you already offer. Great option. I may have to consider it for my current … or start another blog.
Feb 15th at 10:46 pm
Where was this functionality a few months ago when I needed it…?
Seriously – this is a nice design! I am not sure I will switch now that I am comfortable with my current theme, but… I am experiementing. Thanks for the great option~
Feb 15th at 10:49 pm
I think it’s cute! =D
Feb 15th at 10:50 pm
I like it, it’s very nice!
Feb 15th at 10:55 pm
I think some bloggers are going to love this theme.
Feb 15th at 11:00 pm
Trying it out right now!! Wow … it looks squeaky clean and minimalistic — right up my alley! @timethief you got that right!
Feb 15th at 11:00 pm
I love the Showcase Page feature. Does this still work if you are using a static front page? If yes, I’ll be switching very soon!
Feb 15th at 11:02 pm
Yep! The Showcase Page Template was designed with static front pages in mind. Switch away.
Feb 15th at 11:15 pm
I like the Showcase Page addition. The design is also very sleek and clean. But I would like a bit more colour to the theme.
Feb 15th at 11:33 pm
I just started my first two blogs, I really don’t know what I am doing? God is really working with me I believe! Thank you for this cool opportunity.
Feb 15th at 11:46 pm
How works the “Duster Ephemera” widget?
I can’t use it, because dont’ appeared at my sidebar.
Thanks!
Feb 15th at 11:50 pm
Any plans to publish this gorgeous theme for the WordPress.org disciples?
Feb 15th at 11:51 pm
Looks like something that might work for me. Thanks!
Feb 15th at 11:52 pm
Love the theme, using it now
Feb 15th at 11:53 pm
This is nice… I love the showcase feature on this theme.
Feb 15th at 11:55 pm
Looks interesting…will check it out.
Feb 16th at 12:05 am
loved it…was going to change my beach to duster, then went to JillyWillyArt.worpress.com and I had just uploaded pics from my cruise last night…wowo…my beach theme made me happy…so keeping the beach, but maybe duster later…..maybe one day, I will learn more about artful blogging…xxoo
Feb 16th at 12:11 am
Can I only use this theme for WordPress.com blogs?
Feb 16th at 12:17 am
Good work!
Simple theme is my fave.
Thank you
Feb 16th at 12:35 am
Love it! Great theme with good customizable options…
Feb 16th at 12:43 am
This looks really interesting and I appreciate the innovate design. I am having trouble getting a feel for it from the description and the page in the Showcase Forum. I really need to try it out. My concern about using a static front page or a sticky note is its effect on search engines. I just switched to Clean Home (which I’m loving), but I’m compelled to explore this new one. Thanks!
Feb 16th at 12:48 am
It’s really beautiful!
When will release the version for self-hosted blogs (I wait for the version of Steira too)?
Feb 16th at 12:51 am
Another Nice Theme from WP. Simple and Clean
Feb 16th at 1:09 am
i super like this theme. clean and edgy!
more themes please.
Feb 16th at 1:25 am
I friggin’ love the theme, but I cannot FOR THE LIFE OF ME get the sticky post/featured image thing to work. Switched over to the static front page, switched the page type to “Showcase.” Everything else shows up fine, but the sticky post? Nothin’. Either there’s something wrong with the way it’s working, or the directions for how to do this are too vague in the theme showcase. Please help
Feb 16th at 1:32 am
Looks really good, but I’ll stick to my current theme
Feb 16th at 1:33 am
Simple theme is best!
Feb 16th at 1:41 am
I think this theme looks really great. However, is there a way to change the color schemes of threaded comments? I’ve noticed that on each layer the color switches from grey to a dark color, for example if someone were to reply to a comment, their reply would be in a dark grey/black box. I guess it’s not a big deal, and I’m certainly willing to live with it considering how nice the rest of the theme is, but the dark color seems to be a bit distracting.
Thanks for this great theme.
Feb 16th at 1:52 am
nice theme, i like it very much
Feb 16th at 2:11 am
Looks very awesome. How do I get this theme?
Feb 16th at 2:13 am
Wow.. Thank you very much for a great theme. This seems perfect for my science & math blog. Going to use this one.
love u WP.
Feb 16th at 2:16 am
this one also goes into my themes choice
Feb 16th at 2:19 am
coolness — sweet + sleek ^^!
Feb 16th at 2:37 am
A very, very nice theme. Perfect.
Feb 16th at 2:47 am
It’s cute. ^_^
Feb 16th at 2:49 am
I may give it a try!
Feb 16th at 2:51 am
With this vast plethora of choices, it’s difficult to find one that works. Each theme is equally innovative and with boundless potential.
Too bad there aren’t theme categories related to blog topics.
Feb 16th at 2:58 am
Very versatile and cool.
Feb 16th at 3:11 am
Almost love it! No widget when reading a post.
Feb 16th at 3:24 am
Duster displays single posts on a one column layout. You may use the three widget areas on the footer if you want special content there, though.
Feb 16th at 3:12 am
Just the theme I was waiting for
Love it!
Feb 16th at 3:17 am
Looks good. Will it be released as a theme download anytime in future?
Feb 16th at 4:01 pm
Sure thing. Stay tuned.
Feb 16th at 3:18 am
I’m still in love with the 2010 for my gardening blog. Thanks for the great job you guys do.
Feb 16th at 3:31 am
First theme I’ve been excited about in a long time. Already activated and going to explore customizations more tonight. Thanks!
Feb 16th at 3:46 am
Definitely tagged for further exploration!
Feb 16th at 3:56 am
Being the WordPress.com groupie that I am, I must say, I thought it would be difficult to top the simple, yet elegant TwntyTen theme which really made my blog. However, I am pleasantly surprised to see this new theme. To top it all off, it seems to be an in-house WordPress.com production. All the more reason to switch immediately.
You guys are so great, thanking y’all seems superfluous! But thank you, and keep ‘em coming!
Feb 16th at 3:57 am
Fresh and clear.
Thanks !
Greetings full of sun from Hannover, Germany.
Feb 16th at 4:28 am
Great stuff – love it
Feb 16th at 4:57 am
I like it, but you can design themes with 3 colums, can’t you?
Tks for interesting themes!
Feb 16th at 4:59 am
Simple and nice!
Feb 16th at 5:05 am
You did an excellent job. Duster looks extremely clean and less cloudy.
Feb 16th at 5:15 am
Is that the only image that can come with this theme?
Feb 16th at 5:28 am
This is a sophisticated and attractive option, but I agree with Ali Reza. The single posts on a one column layout are problematic because there is no navigation at the end of the post. Not to mention no widgets in the side bar so people can explore other places on your blog. People would have to scroll through all the comments to see the widgets at the bottom and not everyone will do that. They also have to scroll back up to the top to navigate off the page.
Also the photos seem line up in an odd way on the left. They are a little above (or below? Can’t remember) the first line of text and there’s too much space below the photo where it wraps back along the bottom.
Maybe these little things could be tweaked to make it perfect???
Feb 16th at 5:34 am
Finally, WordPress, finally! To be honest, I’ve been a tad disappointed with the slew of recent themes lately – they looked okay as screencaps, but ultimately failed when it came to the little things like alignment, type contrast, and such. What especially bugged me were the many instances of uneven line-height for lists. Sorry but I tend to nitpick about those things.
This however, looks polished and classy and all-around awesome! I’m customizing mine right now and I’m appreciating all the little details that make it work. Thank you, theme team! I sure hope you’re open to providing color options later on~
Feb 16th at 5:44 am
Love it!
However, is there anyway we can disable searchbox in the header?
(It doesn’t look as nice if we use ‘hide text’ and the header is up top with search overlayed on it)
Overall, great theme!
Feb 16th at 2:40 pm
Good catch, thanks. You can’t disable the search box, but we have improved how it is rendered when the header text is hidden so it will still look just as great.
Feb 16th at 5:53 am
I’ve been using Bueno for my business as a writing coach. I love how it’s so customizable and professional but I think I’m going to be making a switch!
Feb 16th at 6:04 am
Let me review that in Themes preview.
Feb 16th at 6:29 am
Today is my first day and my name is horeraser. This is perfect for me now how do I put it on my blog?
Feb 16th at 6:41 am
A little too minimal, I guess.
Can you come up with something more like Beach? That one is very colorful and beautiful.
Feb 16th at 6:54 am
Themes in general are both the same themes more varied and high-resolution 3 column look. Thanks.
Feb 16th at 7:04 am
Nice..!!
Feb 16th at 7:11 am
How do you make the ‘Featured Posts’ area work? I really like the theme, but am having some difficulties.
Feb 16th at 7:14 am
Awesome. Thanks WordPress!
Feb 16th at 7:56 am
Pretty precious theme. I love the “feature” element to it.
Feb 16th at 8:05 am
Love this one ~ just changed mine
Good job guys!
Feb 16th at 8:11 am
Simple, elegant & versatile. Perfect!
Feb 16th at 8:42 am
Looks great! Going to test it right away
Feb 16th at 9:07 am
Thanks, very nice.
Feb 16th at 9:13 am
Maybe I give it a try!
Feb 16th at 9:22 am
I ♥ WordPress!
Feb 16th at 9:59 am
Very nice, I like it!
Feb 16th at 10:28 am
Yes, the theme I like.
Feb 16th at 10:29 am
Looks good, nice theme.
Feb 16th at 11:07 am
Lovely and clean – I’ll have a play with this one.
Feb 16th at 11:09 am
Love it. Keep up the great work!
Feb 16th at 11:58 am
I really love this theme! I’m currently playing around with it, and could possibly be the next theme of my primary blog! Thank you very much! Looks like a lot of work went into this
Feb 16th at 12:52 pm
Nice theme…. I’ll have to check it out in greater detail.
I have a theme suggestion for y’all, though: Could you make a theme that is decidedly horses? I’ve tried to customize different themes with horse backgrounds, headers, etc….. but I can’t find photos that always fit… So if you could make a theme that has horses (literally) everywhere, I’m sure it would make me and manyother horse-loving bloggers very happy
Thanks!
Feb 16th at 1:12 pm
Nice idea, having a theme showcase. It would certainly help to accent an important post. Thanks!
Feb 16th at 1:51 pm
I like this theme, especially the featured post feature. I’ve tried to make a new post, mark it as “sticky” and the featured post feature works perfectly, but when I tried to mark my older post (posted around may 2010) as “sticky”, it doesn’t appear as featured post, it doesn’t appear at the front page at all. Did I do it wrong? or is there some constraint on featured post feature on this theme?
Feb 16th at 1:55 pm
Great, I love the little featured post…
Feb 16th at 2:24 pm
Great theme, good work.
Feb 16th at 2:48 pm
Nice theme, does it support Galleries? We could do with a few more with this feature as the choices aren’t many at present, and some of the really nice themes I have hoped to use lack this.
Some more would be great when you guys get time… Please… Θ)
Τhanks…
Feb 16th at 5:00 pm
Yes, it does.
Feb 16th at 3:04 pm
It’s simple and clean, but maybe a little too empty. But it is streamlined, in a boring sort of way.
Feb 16th at 3:06 pm
OK, you’ve convinced me…there goes another day. Much more fun to play with WordPress than do the wash, or whatever.
Feb 16th at 3:33 pm
I like the simplicity, though the graphics are kinda bit mapped looking. But still very cool!
Feb 16th at 3:54 pm
Love the theme, but having some technical difficulties with the “showcase” aspect. Followed the directions to a T when creating a new front page and adding a sticky to my post. It showed up on my blog one time, but now the post that I added a ‘sticky’ to is nowhere to be found on the front page. Is there anything else that needs to be fixed on the blog?
Feb 16th at 4:48 pm
We found some problems with the sticky logic which should fix the errors some people were having. Let us know if you still experience issues.
Feb 16th at 3:54 pm
This is awesome, I love it.
Feb 16th at 4:50 pm
Is there a reason it’s called ‘Duster’?
Feb 16th at 5:10 pm
It has a charming background: http://themeshaper.com/2011/02/16/whats-in-a-name-duster/
Feb 16th at 4:52 pm
Simply lovely.
Feb 16th at 5:15 pm
Well, I like the theme. But is it available for download and use outside WordPress.com?
Feb 17th at 2:29 pm
Not yet, but it will be.
Feb 16th at 5:32 pm
Fantastic! I’m using it